Apple to ban UDIDs following AntiSec data leak

Earlier this week, AntiSec hackers published 1,000,001 unique device identifiers (UDIDs) from Apple devices, which it claims came from a file on an FBI laptop. In response, Apple has said it did not issue this information to the FBI and has also announced plans to discontinue use of UDIDs.

“The FBI has not requested this information from Apple, nor have we provided it to the FBI or any organisation,” Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said to AllThingsD. “Additionally, with iOS 6 we introduced a new set of APIs meant to replace the use of the UDID and will soon be banning the use of UDID.”

The use, and misuse, of UDIDs – unique codes that identify each iOS device – has been flagged before as a privacy issue and the AntiSec leak shows how this information, when paired with data like usernames and phone numbers, etc, raises concerns.

AntiSec has implied via Twitter that a certain app common to affected users may be responsible for the leaked data.